The One and Only Sami Chapter 14

As he tilted his head a bit more politely, his long, soft, sand-colored hair cascaded down like silk, veiling his eyes.

“Razard, touch me.”

The man’s fingertips followed Sami’s words, obediently stroking the back of his neck. His touch, the curve of his lips, even his gaze—every single detail overflowed with an ecstatic heat, like a man deeply in love.

“Yes, I know. I know everything…”

Ecstatic heat, indeed.

“But you know nothing. Not a single thing.”

Now that I’ve confirmed the ‘Marut’ has entered this body…

“Every time you open your mouth, it’s Razard, Razard.”

All that was left was to extract the real prey I had snared.

“I suppose the boy called my name quite a lot.”

The moment Razard’s eyes darkened, a pitch-black stain surged across his face.

“You’ve got it all wrong, you worn-out phantom.”

Razard grabbed ‘Sami’ by the chin. He moved so fast and drew so close that ‘Sami’—or rather, the thing wearing Sami’s body—couldn’t even react. His eyes, the whites catching the light, flickered with a predatory joy.

“It’s not someone like you I’m after.”

The heat of a true feast, hunger, and greed.

The ferocity he had kept so well hidden revealed itself magnificently alongside a golden glint. Gripping the chin firmly to ensure no escape, Razard pressed his lips to the thing’s ear.

Now, a short whisper was enough.

“Now then. , time to wake up.”

⚜️

“H-haah!”

Sami gasped, his body jolting violently. Like someone who had held their breath for far too long, his shoulders and chest heaved as he fumbled blindly at the floor. As he hurriedly lowered his head, tears that had pooled in his eyes spilled onto the ground, leaving dark, round spots.

“Sami.”

A large, warm hand cupped Sami’s cheek. As heat seeped into his chilled skin, his dizzy, scattered vision slowly began to find its focus.

Razard didn’t miss the moment Sami’s frantic breathing started to steady; he held him a little more firmly and met his eyes.

“Sami. Look at me.”

The eyes looking back were a deep, intense gold. Sami reached out with trembling hands and grabbed Razard’s wrists. As he let out one final exhale, the shimmering illusions vanished completely from his sight.

“Hhh… haaa…”

His awakened body felt like jelly. Strength kept failing in the arms he used to prop himself up, and his waist, which he had managed to straighten, threatened to collapse sideways.

Razard grabbed Sami’s shoulders and gave him a light shake. Sami could feel the heat of the steady hands through his trembling shoulders.

“Ra… zard?”

“Yeah.”

His eyes were round, like a desert jerboa’s.

Black curls clung to his forehead, damp with cold sweat. Since they were veiling his eyes, Razard brushed Sami’s hair back once more.

Beneath eyelashes as thick and dark as raven feathers, he saw frightened amber eyes. Darkened by moisture into a dense honey hue, the boy’s pupils flickered mysteriously as they caught the lamplight.

Razard reached out his ring-clad hand and gave Sami’s head a reassuring pat.

“Sami.”

His lips lightly brushed against the boy’s round, soft crown. His voice, tinged with a faint smile, became a slight vibration that gently ruffled the curly hair.

“Welcome back.”

It was still a touch used for a pet, but thinking he had escaped the illusion made a strange sense of relief wash over a corner of Sami’s heart.

“Th-that strange person was pretending to be me, and there was fire—the flames just shot up…”

As he babbled on, he realized this was all because of what Razard had made him do. Sami’s expression turned tearful as he began to pummel the shoulders in front of him.

He wanted to hit him hard enough to make him groan, but Sami’s punches—having never truly hit anyone before—were hopelessly clumsy. Razard took the hits from the wool-soft fists without moving. Eventually, realizing his own hands hurt more from the awkward swinging, Sami stopped the thumping.

Razard tilted his head to the side, gave a wide grin, and spoke.

“Are you done hitting me?”

“Seriously! …Ugh, cough, hack…”

As his senses fully returned, the inside of his mouth and throat began to sting. A thick thread of saliva trickled from Sami’s lips. In his dazed state, he couldn’t quite fathom what was happening.

“Wh—huh?”

Only then did Sami realize he could no longer smell the dampness or feel the strangely chilled wind.

It made sense. This wasn’t the cave he had been in with Razard just moments ago.

The warm glow of a lamp softly illuminated Razard before him, and beneath the hand he had propped behind Razard’s shoulder, he felt the touch of a soft carpet. It was clearly a high-quality animal hide.

Inside the room filled with cozy warmth, Razard was lying on his back on the floor.

And his own body was sprawled on top…

…Sprawled on top of Razard?

“What, is that not enough? Do you want to hit me some more?”

Sami’s mouth hung open like a fish. He hadn’t noticed in his frantic state, but looking at his hand braced next to Razard’s shoulder and how close their heads were, he looked exactly like he was pouncing on the man.

Sami bolted upright as if he’d been spring-loaded.

Seeing him sitting a distance away with a bewildered face, Razard gave a sharp, incredulous laugh.

“I’m the one who got pounced on and knocked down, so why are you the one making a fuss?”

“I-I didn’t do that!”

As the slender body that had been covering him moved away, Razard sat up lazily. He brushed off the spots where Sami’s dampness had rubbed off on him, his movements as nonchalant as his tone.

“…”

Sami sat huddled, looking up at Razard as if entranced.

The man’s healthy, tanned body. Firm muscles that felt like they would radiate heat at a mere touch shimmered strangely from the moisture. Sami involuntarily swallowed hard, then hurriedly lowered his head again.

Why? Why was his gaze drawn to such things? Utterly flustered, Sami snapped his head away.

Hot air lingered in his mouth, and the back of his neck continued to flush. Razard, watching the huddled Sami fidget, suddenly blurted out:

“You’re slow.”

“Wh—pardon?”

“Has this never happened before?”

His head felt fuzzy and his strength was draining away, as if he’d just stepped out of a hot bath, and Razard’s cryptic words only added to the confusion.

“Wh-what do you…”

“A tickling in your stomach, your body getting hot, and…”

Razard took a step toward Sami. He looked down at Sami, who had accidentally plopped back onto his rear, and grinned again as he took another step closer. He even crouched down to meet the boy at eye level.

“Eek…”

Sami had moved away because the heat felt strange, but Razard was relentless. Panicked and holding his breath, Sami scooted back even further in his seated position.

Regardless, Razard ignored the retreat and rested his chin on his hand while still crouching. His face, with one cheek slightly pressed, held a mysterious smile.

“…Wanting to touch me.”

“N-no! I don’t—that’s not it at all…”

Sami shook his head desperately. He denied it so violently it felt like his head might pop right off. Before the little head could snap, Razard stopped him by pressing a finger firmly against his chin.

“Really? Because if not, that’s going to be a problem.”

What does that mean? The question rose to the tip of his tongue, but all that came out of Sami’s mouth were feverish breaths and a thin moan.

Every time Razard’s hand touched him, a pleasant shiver ran down Sami’s spine. He wanted the man to keep touching him. More. If he would just touch him as much as he wanted…

Just imagining the touch brought a momentary sense of ecstasy.

“Ugh…”

The heat swirling inside his body bit at his pink-stained ankles and heels, made his fingertips tremble, and dampened his eyes. Eventually, Sami’s eyes grew red.

What am I thinking?

Fear struck him as sensations and desires he had never felt before flooded his body.

“Razard, it’s weird. It’s weird. It’s…”

“It’s okay. It’s not weird at all. In fact, it’s only natural.”

As if to comfort him, Razard leaned in and pressed his cheek against Sami’s.

Sami squeezed his eyes shut. His mouth clamped into a tight line. Even though he was scared because his body flinched, itched, and burned whenever Razard drew near, he had no one else to cling to but him.

Trembling, Sami wrapped his arms around Razard’s back. He held on tight and wouldn’t let go.

“Because you need me to calm the ‘Marut’ trapped inside your body.”

“Tr-tr-trapped… you said?”

Wasn’t ‘Marut’ the name of the gemstone set in the ring on Razard’s hand? How could a gem be trapped inside him? His disorganized mind spun in circles.

“I suppose I’d better explain it to you. Right?”